Offense just not enough for Javs

Team amasses season-best 407 yards in defeat

KINGSVILLE - When it turns out to be one of those years, there isn't
much to say except, well, it's been one of those years.

Texas A&M-Kingsville, turning in its best offensive performance
in a season that can best be billed as frustrating, still came up short
Saturday night in a bid to play the role of the huge spoiler against
19th-ranked Abilene Christian.

Matt Adams' 25-yard field goal as time expired lifted the Wildcats
to a 41-38 victory over the hapless Javelinas. The game-winning boot
gave 8-1 ACU a 7-1 record in the Lone Star Conference overall
standings, keeping the Wildcats tied with West Texas A&M and in
line for a berth in the NCAA Division II playoffs.

The Javelinas, who amassed a season-best 407 yards of offense, had
two 100-yard rushers - Raymorris Miller (105) and Webster Patrick
(103), each running for a score. Freshman quarterback Jeremy Heatley
threw a career-best three TD passes and 167 yards. His 6-yarder to
Jareko Taylor with a minute, 12 seconds to play tied the game at 38.
Seemingly, it appeared the 3-7 Javelinas, long out of the conference or
postseason chase, were headed for their fourth overtime game of the
season.

"I thought we were going to win that game," said senior wide
receiver Steve Yaden, who caught his first TD pass of the season.
"We've been in, what, three overtimes already? Shoot, I thought we were
going to win this thing. But they were able to drive on us and get the
winning field goal."

Indeed the Wildcats did, capping a night in which they inflicting
big-play pain on a Javs' defense that surrendered 554 yards of offense.
Four big yardage plays, including TD passes of 63 and 69 yards from ACU
quarterback Billy Malone, singed the A&M-Kingsville defense all
night. But none was bigger than the 34-yard pass from Malone to Jerale
Badon, who was knocked out of bounds at the Javs' 8 with 2 seconds
remaining. Malone had thrown the 63-yard TD pass in the first quarter
to Badon, who was injured late in the first half and didn't return
until the Wildcats' final drive.

Malone finished with 404 passing yards, with Badon (four catches,
165 yards) and Chris Morris (seven for 122) doing most of the damage to
A&M-Kingsville.

"It was a back-and-forth game. They'd score, we'd score. They'd
score, we'd score," Javs sophomore linebacker Mike Martinez said. "It
came down to who was going to make a play at the end. They did and we
didn't and they got the win."

Following the 34-yard completion to Badon and a timeout, Adams came
on to kick the game-winner and cap the 72-yard march, deflating the
Javs' spirits.

"It can't get no worse than it has," said junior cornerback Rod
Mosley, who had seven tackles. "We've already failed at our goals of
making the playoffs. But it was a close call at the end."

"It was about to be our fourth overtime. I don't know how much more
bizarre it can get," senior tackle John Cook said. "We just couldn't
hold on at the end."

The Javs came roaring out of the locker room to score 17
third-quarter points to forge a 31-all tie. Patrick scored on a 32-yard
run and Heatley tossed a 12-yard score to Yaden that gave the Javs a
28-24 lead. Scott Schlebach's 26-yard field goal knotted the game at 31
after ACU's Chancy Campbell's 1-yard TD run temporarily restored the
Wildcats' lead. That drive, too, was set up by two long passes - a
22-yarder from Malone to Campbell and a 25-yarder to Jonathan
Ferguson.

The fact the Javs trailed at the break 24-14 wasn't a novel concept.
ACU totaled 314 yards of offense, although 185 of the yards came on two
long scoring plays and a pass. But the Javs at least proved the ability
to get off the carpet when the Wildcats struck immediately for Malone's
63-yard scoring strike to Badon on a post pattern past cornerback Blair
Anderson the second play from scrimmage.

And it came in spite of Corey Jordan's interception of Heatley and
17-yard return. But the Javs held on fourth down and then put together
an 11-play, 91-yard drive that drained 5:20 off the clock.
A&M-Kingsville only had to convert one third-down play in the
drive, Heatley's 8-yard scramble to the ACU 32. Miller, who had 42
rushing yards in the drive, peeled off a 21-yarder and finished the
deal with an 11-yard TD run, his sixth of the season.

The Javs actually took a 14-7 lead early in the second quarter with
another lengthy drive, this one 13 plays for 61 yards. Heatley
completed five of seven passes in the march, including the first of two
TD hookups with Taylor, a 20-yarder for a 14-7 lead.

The big plan burned A&M-Kingsville again later in the second
quarter. Malone and Morris hooked up on a 69-yard scoring pass play,
one in which he broke two tackles on the Javs' sideline. That tied the
game at 14.

Stalled again, the Javs returned the ball at their 43. All on the
legs of Taber Minner, ACU needed five plays before Minner's 3-yard
scoring run and a 21-14 lead with 2:22 before halftime.

Pinned deep and after another offensive stall, A&M-Kingsville
punted and ACU took over at its 47 with 1:44 remaining. An apparent TD
pass from Malone to John Brock was waved off when Brock was ruled to
have stepped out of bounds before the reception, and an apparent
pass-interference penalty on the Javs was waved off, too. The Wildcats
settled for Adams' 29-yard field goal with 18 seconds to play.